The Horned Frogs have found their Kendal Briles replacement.
Shortly after news that TCU offensive coordinator Kendal Briles would be leaving for South Carolina, multiple reports Wednesday indicate that the Horned Frogs have hired UConn offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis as his replacement. A two-time nominee for the Broyles Award, an honor given to the top assistant coach in college football, Sammis has been with the Huskies since 2022. Sammis spent three years as UConn’s offensive line coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator, a role in which he served in the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
An ascending coach who previously worked at Virginia, Columbia, VMI, Lafayette and William & Mary, Sammis was briefly named the interim head coach after UConn head coach Jim Mora departed for the lead coaching role at Colorado State. Under Sammis, UConn has won 18 games over the last two seasons and deployed one of the better rushing offenses in college football. Sammis replaces Briles, who worked at TCU for three seasons.
In his first season running the Husky offense in 2024, UConn averaged 199.2 rushing yards per game to rank 21st nationally. The Huskies scored 31.9 points per game, 35th nationally, and had one of the best red zone offenses in the country, ranking fourth (.932). Sammis’ offensive line unit was dominant yet again, allowing just 1.08 sacks per game, 13th nationally, and just 4.00 tackles for loss per game, 15th nationally. UConn’s 5169 yards of total offense ranked as third most in UConn football history while the 2590 yards rushing ranked second all-time. The Huskies finished the year scoring 415 points, the second highest total in school history.
During Sammis’s first season at UConn in 2022 he coached an offensive line unit that helped the Huskies rank 33rd in the nation in rushing offense, averaging 191.0 yards per game. In the passing game, the UConn offensive line was 29th in the NCAA in sacks allowed, allowing just 1.38 per game. The UConn front-five improved on their sacks allowed stat in 2023, ranking ninth in the country allowing just 12 sacks (1.00 pg) on the season.
Category: General Sports
